2004 Kentucky Derby


The 2004 Kentucky Derby was the 130th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 1, 2004 and was won by Smarty Jones, who earned a $5 million bonus. There were 140,054 in attendance.

Contenders

was the 4-1 favorite for the race. He came into the Derby with an undefeated record, including wins in the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby, both held at Oaklawn Park. If he won the Kentucky Derby, he stood to earn a $5 million "Centennial Bonus" offered by Oaklawn to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
His leading rivals included Lion Heart, Castledale, The Cliff's Edge, Tapit, Friends Lake, and Imperialism.
St. Averil and Wimbledon were originally entered but scratched from the race, meaning there were only 18 starters.

Full results

A "deluge" started about two hours before the race, turning a fast track sloppy. Lion Heart, breaking near the rail, ran a quick opening quarter mile of 22.99 seconds to get good position going into the first turn. His jockey Mike Smith then started to slow down the pace, completing the half mile in 46.73 and three-quarters in 1:11.80. Smarty Jones rated a few lengths behind then started his move on the far turn. The two raced heads apart as they entered the stretch, then Smarty Jones started to edge away to win by lengths.
Smarty Jones became the first horse to win the Derby while undefeated since Seattle Slew in 1977. It was the first Derby win for his trainer, jockey and owner, all of whom were well known in the Mid Atlantic racing circuit but making their first start in the race. His 77-year-old owner Roy Chapman also bred the colt at Someday Farm in Pennsylvania. Chapman and his wife Patricia had owned and bred many horses over the years, but none had raced at the highest level. "We had a lot of ham-and-eggers," he said, "but sometimes you can cheer just as loud and get just as excited about winning a $10,000 claimer as a stakes. But we never raced at this level until Smarty came along. To have bred him and had him born on your farm, it's something... He is from Philly and I'm very proud of everything he's done."
FinishProgram
number		HorseJockeyTrainerOddsMarginEarnings
115Smarty JonesStewart ElliottJohn Servis4.10$5,884,800*
23Lion HeartMike E. SmithPatrick Biancone5.40 lengths$170,000
310ImperialismKent DesormeauxKristin Mulhall10.906 lengths$85,000
41LimehouseJosé A. SantosTodd Pletcher41.708 lengths$45,000
511The Cliff's EdgeShane SellersNicholas Zito8.20 lengths
64Action This DayDavid R. FloresRichard Mandella43.40 lengths
714Read the FootnotesRobby AlbaradoRichard Violette Jr.22.50 lengths
813BirdstoneEdgar PradoNicholas Zito21.20 lengths
918TapitRamon A. DominguezMichael Dickinson6.40 lengths
1012BorregoVictor EspinozaBeau Greely14.20 lengths
112Song of the SwordNorberto Arroyo Jr.Jennifer Pedersen55.90 lengths
128Master DavidAlex SolisRobert Frankel10.60 lengths
1319Pro PradoJohn McKeeRobert Holthus53.5020 lengths
1416CastledaleJose Valdivia Jr.Jeff Mullins21.90 lengths
156Friends LakeRichard MiglioreJohn C. Kimmel18.50 lengths
167Minister EricPat DayRichard Mandella22.50 lengths
1717Pollard's VisionJohn VelazquezTodd Pletcher24.00 lengths
DNF20Quintons Gold RushCorey NakataniSteve Asmussen51.20--

Track condition: Fast
Times: mile – 22.99; mile – 46.73; mile – 1:11.80; mile – 1:37.35; final – 2:04.06.
Splits for each quarter-mile:
Source: Equibase Chart

Payout

;The 130th Kentucky Derby Payout Schedule
Program
Number		Horse Name
Win
Place
Show
15Smarty Jones$10.20$6.20$4.80
3Lion Heart-$8.20$5.80
10Imperialism--$6.20

Several horses went on to win Grade I races:

Sires of Classic winners

Tapit – leading sire in North America 2014-2016
Birdstone
Pollard's Vision
Lion Heart
Imperialism
  • Imperial Hint – 2017 and 2018 Alfred G. Vandebilt, Vosburgh
Read the Footnotes
  • Rightly So – 2010 Ballerina Stakes
Sources: , , ,